Tailoring denim to fit better?

[Telix]

How possible is it for a tailor to take a pair of old dry denim that is too large, due to stretching and weight loss, and make them fit well again? I don't really know what's involved in tailoring denim, and I wondered what magic they can do if anyone has experience.

[WhoGotMeIntoThis]

I know there's quite a few people that have had their jeans tailored. I know that a tailor is capable of making lots of garments fit a hell of a lot better. I know that some of these guys have had their jeans taken in in the seat areas, waist I believe, and the leg openings can also be altered. This is just stipulation based on what I've seen/read in here though.

...but as far as I know, yes, this can be done.

[sybaritical]

Triniboy posted a good thread about a pair of Nudies he had altered at the waist a while back. Maybe give him a shout.

[mcflip]

if you're considering tailoring, definitely try to do it before you get honeycombs, etc. going because obviously any marks will be set off once the fabric is put together differently. Also, make sure your jeans are finished shrinking (unless you take potential shrikage into account before you tailor) or else you might end up with nuthugging highwaters once you wash them.

[Telix]

Yeah, my plan was to lose all the weight I planned to in the next four months, and by then I will be to a point with my Nudies that I will want to wash them and see how they shrink. Then I was going to take them to a tailor.

Good point about any honeycombing and such, though.... I'd deal with a big of weirdness on the distress lines if they fit better, though.

[kapay]

Is there a way to hem denim and keep the wrinkled bottom? I've tailored two of my jeans one at the Union Square Levi's store and another at a tailor shop that was supposed to be well known for their denim tailoring and both of them looked obviously hemmed.

[Guest Fade to Black]

No matter what people say, you can NOT tailor a pair of jeans in the waist. It will fuck the pants up beyond recognition...might as well get a new pair. They're not trousers, the way jeans waists are constructed you can't really take them in.

[Ted DiBiase]

i agree. it depends on how much weight you're losing. if you are dropping down like only 1 size i dont think it will be so much of an issue. you probably dont need to get them tailored.

if you drop down 3 sizes, you literally need to deconstruct the jeans and put them back together again with smaller measurements. at this point its better to just buy new jeans.

if you are premeditating a considerable size loss, i suggest you dont get attached to any of the jeans you have now cause they will all be useless by the time you hit your target weight (its not worth the effort to get them tailored, they will look very obvious).

[triniboy27]

Quote:

No matter what people say, you can NOT tailor a pair of jeans in the waist. It will fuck the pants up beyond recognition...might as well get a new pair. They're not trousers, the way jeans waists are constructed you can't really take them in.

--- Original message by Fade to Black on Feb 23, 2006 12:02 PM

I beg to differ - I've done it on a number of jeans and they've all come out looking normal and fitting better.

The key is, as TDB said, to not go down by more than 1 size or so. The important thing when you're having the alterations made is that they take into account the proportions of the jeans - by that, i mean, you can't just have the waist taken in - you need to have the seat taken in as well.

[jasonm]

triniboy27,

arent you from toronto, wheres a good place to get this sorta stuff done?

[triniboy27]

Yup - i'm in TO - i normally get all my alterations done at the Stitch-It in my building at work but I think any Stitch-IT location can do it as long as you're very clear what you want done.

PM if you want any more details.

[hughsd]

stitch it does all my nudies... the slim jim just isnt slim enough at the bottom for me

[pmr]

Quote: if you drop down 3 sizes, you literally need to deconstruct the jeans and put them back together again with smaller measurements. at this point its better to just buy new jeans.

I will second this. I had my jeans taken in at the waist a few months ago, and the seat is totally messed up now. I took them around to several quality tailors, who told me that basically what they'd have to do is take apart the vertical seam down to the crotch, and restitch it. They said it was doable, but matching the threading is very difficult as is doing the double-stich down the seam (apparently doing it right requires a special sewing machine...not sure why, but I've heard this from several people).

Basically the response was "we can give it a shot, but there are no guarantees how they'll turn out, you'd probably be better off just getting a new pair of jeans".

If someone has found somewhere that can do this, kudos...but personally I will never try it again.

[Thorns]

I do all my own tailoring and I've even made a couple pairs of 100% custom jeans. If you know how to take apart seams correctly, you can do almost anything to a pair of jeans. And depending on where the visible thread seam is (inseam or outseam) it is more than possible to take in the waist.

[Thorns]

Oh and as to the special sewing machine, as long as you use 18 gauge needles, you shouldn't need to do anything special to the machine itself.

[selassie_is_dead]

triniboy,

which tailor is better? The one on Sanchez street in Arima, or the the one on Guaico Rd. Sangre Grande?

[triniboy27]

Ram Mohess down in Sando, boy.

[selassie_is_dead]

Haven't been down south in a while, I'm living in Toco presently. I would like to get down there and get some good roti. And also so I won't be the only why-tee in town. Tell me some good roti stands, and doubles stands down Sando way. Also, do you know any place in the country where I could get some shrink to fit Levis?

Edited by selassie_is_dead on Mar 3, 2006 at 05:22 PM

[cant_sleep]

concerning the hems, i read something about cutting off the ends, maybe an inch up, then cutting off however much of the leg you want gone, and restitching the original ends back on. not sure exactly how its done. might be a thread in here about it.